Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Book Marketing Tricks for Independent Publishers

Being
an author nowadays is a lot more work than many of the perceived
daydreams young authors have of a career in writing. My partner and I
started our small press Phenomenal One Press in 2009 before the word
‘self publishing’ or ‘indie’ publishing was all the rage. We decided to
approach our publishing business with planned precision to bring
awareness to our product within the typical 3 year rule for most
businesses. In addition I’m the Vice President of Mid Atlantic Book
Publishers Association which is an affiliate of Independent Book
Publishers Association. Now just 3 years after its beginning our small
press has six books released by myself and one other author. With hard
work and incorporating the expertise of professional editors,
proofreaders and many others we’ve achieved our goal and more.

If you decide to go the self-publishing route, realize that you should take some time to do the following.

KNOW
THE PUBLISHING BIZ AND YOUR MARKETS.

Take time to read books on the
business of publishing. Attend Pub-U sponsored by the Independent Book
Publishers Association. Check out a favorite book of mine that helped me
kick-start my own publishing business, 1001 Ways to Market Your Book
by John Kremer. Just don’t rush into this without knowing your target
markets, where they hang out, what they like, and where your products
fit in.

BUILD
A BRAND PRESENCE.

If you want to be accepted as a professional
publisher – present yourself as one. Review and research other small
publishers even large publishers for the genres you plan on publishing.
Note the ones that stand out and why, then replicate that image for your
company. Remember, first impressions are
everything. So spend some time creating all the business cards, website
branding, press kits, marketing kits, media kits, sales sheets, and
anything you plan on giving out to bookstores, readers, schools, and
other venues, to present your books and yourself. Also note that
consumers are visual so try to nail your publishing business’ image on
the first try. As far as covers, don’t skimp on them. Research the
covers in the genre you want to sell in, then get a book cover artist to
design you a professional
cover. Usually, when I’ve consulted new self
publishers or small press, I have to be brutally honest about the value
of a quality cover and publishing brand.

CREATE
A MARKETING PLAN.

Many authors should do this whether they are
self-published or not. Make a marketing plan that you direct towards
your markets. Also, break up your marketing into daily tasks that take
no more than 1 hour a day. And give yourself a day off. I
start with a simple excel spreadsheet which spans the entire 8 months
prior to publication. The reason you plan promotion so far ahead is
because it takes advertising time to build momentum. Have one marketing
plan for your ebook release and another for you paperback or audio
releases. When you have your plan split out in daily increments then
it’s easy to pass along an item or two to someone else to finish. Also,
it helps a self publisher who is doing all the promo and marketing
themselves to not get overwhelmed.

GET
SOME REVIEWS.

If you have a great cover, a well-edited book, and a
great brand, bloggers and reviewers will take a peek. Believe it or not,
many self-publishers are able to garner reviews by presenting
themselves in a professional manner and offering up a quality product.
Learn to set up your own blog tours, gain your own reviewers, and
research them to make sure they like what you are sending them. Do not,
under any circumstance, send your book (preferably an ARC--Advance
Reader Copy) to a reviewer who doesn’t read or enjoy books similar to
yours. Taking that chance can get you a bad review when you have a
reviewer that doesn’t even like the genre you want them to review.
Readers are rather picky and selective with the types of books they read
and enjoy, so make sure that your reviewers understand the genre in
advance of you spending money to send them your
paperback ARC.

FOLLOW
UP.

Once you build a reader base, keep them in the know. Follow up.
Yeah, newsletters help. Friend them on Facebook, Tweet them, but however
you do it, communicate with your readers. And just keep adding and
adding to your momentum by building an army of supporters who like what
you write, cheer you on, and in some cases even market your books for
you through word of mouth.

My
final note of advice is to stick with the same genre for your first two
releases since different genres require building a presence and
marketing to multiple audiences.

In
taking the bull by the horns and launching a publishing business, you
are no longer an author, you are a publisher. Therefore, your publishing
business should be approached as a business.